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<blockquote data-quote="Pdvdh" data-source="post: 233150" data-attributes="member: 4191"><p><strong>Re: Bears</strong></p><p></p><p>This summer in particular, there were several joggers and some on bicycles that were mauled by brown bears in the Anchorage area of Alaska. The past couple of years there have been joggers mauled by brown bears on the Kenai Peninsula near where I live. It's believed the joggers and bicyclist surprised sows with cubs in most all of these situations. Although about 5 yrs ago an older lady and her 40 yr old son were killed will jogging on a mountain trail just south of Anchorage by a bear that had a dead animal down adjacent to the trail. One son/grandson survived by climbing a tree, and was able to recount the story.</p><p></p><p>I've hunted and trapped in Alaska since 1978. I basically never head out off the road without a firearm. I try not to do stupid stuff like camping along salmon streams in the summer/fall. I've never purchased a can of pepper spray, but I would recommend that instead of a firearm to anyone that wasn't both comfortable and competent with firearms. Pepper spray works just about all the time if you hit the bear in the face at close range with a solid blast of spray.</p><p></p><p>I'm not going to mention wolves because I don't believe them to pose any significant risk, however as I said, I'm always armed. I've never been attacked by a bear, but I had a black bear stalk me two springs ago. He came up from down wind and when I saw him he was about 12 yds away. He continued to within about 20 feet of me looking at me and smelling as he continued his approach. I had to reach behind me to grab my rifle, and by the time I was ready to shoot he was standing broadside at 20 feet. I shot him with a 7mm RM, 160 gr Nosler AB. He ran about 20 yds and dropped. I was bear hunting at the time, taking a nap in the evening sun. I had heard a noise like a cough and about 10 minutes later when I raised my head up, I could just begin to see the bears ears and forehead coming into view just off the knoll I was lying on. Don't nap when you're in bear country unless you have a firearm at your side or in your arms. I don't know what that bear would have done if I hadn't looked up, but I'm glad I didn't have to find out the hard way.</p><p></p><p>Anyhow, there's been good advice given by Wlfdg. But that advice is often hard to follow in Alaska, where the hunts are multiple days long and you're living off your backpack remote from any form of civilization. Especially once an animal has been killed. In many areas there aren't any trees to hang the meat in. Camping with meat nearby and some bloody clothes gets a bit more exciting. I've camped with sheep, goat, caribou, and moose meat beside my tent on various different hunts. I prefer not to, but sometimes that's just the way it's been. I try to wear Dr. exam type gloves to keep my hands clean when skinning and butchering game. I do my best to keep from smelling up my boots and clothes, but I'm never spic-n-span clean by the time I'm done.</p><p></p><p>Night time is the worst on one's nerves, when we can't see, and they can. I always try to have a decent flashlight for shining bears at night, should I have the need. Fortunately, I never have. I always have a loaded weapon by my side. Never had to fight it out at night yet. But I've known guys who could hear the bears prowling around outside there tents at night. One guy got so freaked he fired his rifle up through the top of his tent to scare the bear away. As I recall, it worked for a while. Also left a hole through the tent. </p><p></p><p>Some bears are curious, some defensive of cubs or food caches, some are mean, some are hungry, but for the most part, they don't want anything to do with us. Regardless of the favorable odds though, all it takes is one bad-*** bear to maim or kill you, unless you're properly armed and able to defend yourself. I don't let the fear keep me from hunting. I just try to keep the odds stacked in my favor in case I do bump into a snotty bear. My worst nightmare is bumping into some tiny little cubs... you know mama is nearby and won't be one bit happy. So far I've been lucky and not encountered this. A friend of mine did just 3 weekends ago. He walked past a cub brown bear and didn't see or hear it until after he'd passed it on the trail. Then he heard the cub as it moved towards the trail he'd just walked down. Next thing he heard was a bigger bear up the hill side ~ 40 yds away, off in the brush (mama). When the cub turned back away from the foot trail, he snuck past it and took off with pistol in hand. Neither bear even knew he was there until after he snuck off. He left for the day and decided to climb that trail the following day instead. He was spooked pretty good and I would have been too. If that cub had let out a bawl it could have gotten ugly real quick.</p><p></p><p>Enough rambling. Be cautious, but don't let it keep you out of the woods.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Pdvdh, post: 233150, member: 4191"] [b]Re: Bears[/b] This summer in particular, there were several joggers and some on bicycles that were mauled by brown bears in the Anchorage area of Alaska. The past couple of years there have been joggers mauled by brown bears on the Kenai Peninsula near where I live. It's believed the joggers and bicyclist surprised sows with cubs in most all of these situations. Although about 5 yrs ago an older lady and her 40 yr old son were killed will jogging on a mountain trail just south of Anchorage by a bear that had a dead animal down adjacent to the trail. One son/grandson survived by climbing a tree, and was able to recount the story. I've hunted and trapped in Alaska since 1978. I basically never head out off the road without a firearm. I try not to do stupid stuff like camping along salmon streams in the summer/fall. I've never purchased a can of pepper spray, but I would recommend that instead of a firearm to anyone that wasn't both comfortable and competent with firearms. Pepper spray works just about all the time if you hit the bear in the face at close range with a solid blast of spray. I'm not going to mention wolves because I don't believe them to pose any significant risk, however as I said, I'm always armed. I've never been attacked by a bear, but I had a black bear stalk me two springs ago. He came up from down wind and when I saw him he was about 12 yds away. He continued to within about 20 feet of me looking at me and smelling as he continued his approach. I had to reach behind me to grab my rifle, and by the time I was ready to shoot he was standing broadside at 20 feet. I shot him with a 7mm RM, 160 gr Nosler AB. He ran about 20 yds and dropped. I was bear hunting at the time, taking a nap in the evening sun. I had heard a noise like a cough and about 10 minutes later when I raised my head up, I could just begin to see the bears ears and forehead coming into view just off the knoll I was lying on. Don't nap when you're in bear country unless you have a firearm at your side or in your arms. I don't know what that bear would have done if I hadn't looked up, but I'm glad I didn't have to find out the hard way. Anyhow, there's been good advice given by Wlfdg. But that advice is often hard to follow in Alaska, where the hunts are multiple days long and you're living off your backpack remote from any form of civilization. Especially once an animal has been killed. In many areas there aren't any trees to hang the meat in. Camping with meat nearby and some bloody clothes gets a bit more exciting. I've camped with sheep, goat, caribou, and moose meat beside my tent on various different hunts. I prefer not to, but sometimes that's just the way it's been. I try to wear Dr. exam type gloves to keep my hands clean when skinning and butchering game. I do my best to keep from smelling up my boots and clothes, but I'm never spic-n-span clean by the time I'm done. Night time is the worst on one's nerves, when we can't see, and they can. I always try to have a decent flashlight for shining bears at night, should I have the need. Fortunately, I never have. I always have a loaded weapon by my side. Never had to fight it out at night yet. But I've known guys who could hear the bears prowling around outside there tents at night. One guy got so freaked he fired his rifle up through the top of his tent to scare the bear away. As I recall, it worked for a while. Also left a hole through the tent. Some bears are curious, some defensive of cubs or food caches, some are mean, some are hungry, but for the most part, they don't want anything to do with us. Regardless of the favorable odds though, all it takes is one bad-*** bear to maim or kill you, unless you're properly armed and able to defend yourself. I don't let the fear keep me from hunting. I just try to keep the odds stacked in my favor in case I do bump into a snotty bear. My worst nightmare is bumping into some tiny little cubs... you know mama is nearby and won't be one bit happy. So far I've been lucky and not encountered this. A friend of mine did just 3 weekends ago. He walked past a cub brown bear and didn't see or hear it until after he'd passed it on the trail. Then he heard the cub as it moved towards the trail he'd just walked down. Next thing he heard was a bigger bear up the hill side ~ 40 yds away, off in the brush (mama). When the cub turned back away from the foot trail, he snuck past it and took off with pistol in hand. Neither bear even knew he was there until after he snuck off. He left for the day and decided to climb that trail the following day instead. He was spooked pretty good and I would have been too. If that cub had let out a bawl it could have gotten ugly real quick. Enough rambling. Be cautious, but don't let it keep you out of the woods. [/QUOTE]
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